Chapter 107: The Terrifying Speed of Making Money (Second Update)
After the dishes and drinks were served, Feng Jun first toasted Sister Hong three times to thank her for her help on multiple occasions, then he sat down to eat.
Sister Hong did not beat around the bush either; she returned the toast and then remarked, “They say one should expect to see great changes in just three days of absence. Xiao Feng, you haven’t resigned from your job for long, and now you’ve already achieved so much.”
When she helped out with making calls the day before, she had no idea how far Feng Jun had developed. She was simply dealing with the matter at hand: it was understandable for a person who had been robbed to fight back.
As for how much those pieces of jade were worth, she just listened casually. Whether they were worth that much was still uncertain, and besides, those pieces of jade might not necessarily belong to Xiao Feng personally.
It was only after she discovered the three million in cash in Feng Jun’s car, and Feng Jun stated that he had earned the money from selling jade, with not only witnesses to prove it but also twenty million in his bank account, that the news not only alarmed the police but also reached Zhang Weihong’s ears.
At this point, Sister Hong realized that this young man’s speed of making money was indeed… terrifying.
Talking about twenty million in cash, she couldn’t even come up with that amount at the moment. She could put together the sum by selling some assets, but who would sell their assets without good reason?
Therefore, she was somewhat interested in Feng Jun’s business, “The mine you’re operating now, is it a jade mine?”
“I can’t really say,” Feng Jun answered with a smile and a shake of his head, neither confirming nor denying to keep others guessing.
However, he couldn’t just brush her off, sohe vaguely said, “Sister Hong, if you have friends in the jade business, I can’t boast about other things, but if they need raw jade materials, I can cover that.”
Zhang Weihong’s eyelids twitched. She knew a lot of people, among them were indeed some who were in the jade carving business.
But friends can be close or distant, and those two jade carvers could not even be considered her friends; they were just acquaintances.
Therefore, she was not particularly intrigued, but rather lifted her eyelids with a smile that was not quite a smile and asked, “Just take care of the materials?”
Being in a different line of work meant she didn’t quite understand the implication of promising to provide materials— it sounded challenging, but after all, if you have to sell, who you sell to doesn’t really make a difference, does it?
“Of course, the price has to be fair,” Feng Jun replied with a smile, “You can’t expect me to sell at a loss, but I can assure you, the lowest prices in Zhengyang City.”
He dared not promise anything rashly, but with a realm full of jade at his disposal, no matter how much he tried, it was impossible to sell it all. In fact, just the jade from Mount Zhige was enough for him to sell in Zhengyang for a hundred or eighty years.
Now Sister Hong understood, “The kind of jade you sold to Henglong, do you have a lot of it?”
“Heh,” Feng Jun chuckled, “Having a lot is useless. If I sold more thana few billion’s worth of goods in Zhengyang each year, it would disrupt the market and other people would not be happy about it.”
Sister Hong, being the head of Hongjie, quickly seized the business opportunity. Her eyes widened, “So, you mean your costs are lower and the quality is better… is that the idea?”
Feng Jun nodded with a smile, “That’s correct, my goods are in great demand.
In a couple of days, there’s going to be an internal auction within the industry. I didn’t plan to invite Jubaozhai, so the incident yesterday might have something to do with this as well.”
Sister Hong’s gaze became a bit dreamy, “So, if I randomly pick a jewelry store and say it’s my friend’s, you could look after them too?”
“Of course,” Feng Jun said with a laugh, “If Sister Hong considers them friends, then they are friends… I only acknowledge you!”
Zhang Weihong stalled for a while before letting out a wry laugh and shaking her head, “You rascal, you’ve really learned to be bad, even tempting your Sister Hong… I know a few jewelers, but our relationship is just so-so.”
“Heh,” Feng Jun chuckled indifferently, “I don’t want to know about your relationships. The saying still stands, I only recognize you.”
“I can’t earn this money,” Sister Hong raised her glass and downed it in one gulp, then let out a long sigh and spoke with a hint of regret, “That industry… I’m not familiar with it.”
Her decision at this moment fully exemplified what it means to be a wise person. Although slightly conservative, staying away from industries she was not familiar with, even with Feng Jun’s promise, she would not take the opportunity to make quick money.
Considering she was a woman able to resist such temptation was even more extraordinary. After all, most women, like the dragons in Western fantasies, really love all kinds of shiny gold and silver jewelry.
Feng Jun’s internal rating for her rose significantly. She was a woman who knew her limitations.
So he smiled and answered casually, “I have much to learn from Sister Hong’s caution. Anyway, my offer is always valid. If you start considering entering this industry now, it’s not too late.”
Upon hearing this, Sister Hong chuckled lightly, lifted her glass, and with sparkling eyes said, “Then I’ll give it a try. Whether it works out or not, Xiao Feng, I appreciate your sincerity… Come, this toast is for you.”
She was tempted, after all. Having refused him, he had still given her face, so of course she wouldn’t play coy.
After clinking their glasses, they both drank down their shots, but Wang Haifeng whispered with an odd chuckle, “Sister Hong, this is like you’re working for Boss Feng now.”
This guy was definitely doing it on purpose, waiting until after the toast to speak up.
“Stop babbling in front of me,” Sister Hong gave him a nonchalant glance as she spoke, “Even if I really do jade, we’re just business partners.”
This was her genuine mindset and the reason why she wouldn’t rashly enter a new industry. No matter how promising the talks or how agreeable Feng Jun seemed, she needed to secure a new source of goods before considering getting involved.
Whether running any kind of business, she’d always fundamentally consider how to minimize the risks instead of depending on someone’s promises.
It’s great to have reliable friends, but to rely solely on friends is to be irresponsible towards oneself – at any time, the person most worthy of trust is oneself.
So, she didn’t care about Wang Haifeng’s comments about working for someone; even if she entered the jade business, her collaboration with Feng Jun would just be a partnership—she wouldn’t hang her hopes on one option alone and would ensure her own supply sources, even if it was just a small part.
Actually, Wang Haifeng was trying to play matchmaker between Sister Hong and Feng Jun with his remarks. In his eyes, Feng Jun’s recent experiences were the epitome of an inspirational story. If a loser could rise and even outmatch a former beauty of a boss, wouldn’t that be spectacular?
Coach Wang’s morals were somewhat… less proactive, to put it lightly. He was in it for the pleasure of life, and for him, witnessing an exciting drama was a rare joy. As for whether sparks between Feng Jun and Sister Hong would lead to a future, that was none of his concern.
Anyway, he wasn’t one to refuse a good spectacle.
Seeing Sister Hong so lucid, he found it a bit dull and turned to Feng Jun, “If that’s the case, why don’t you open a store for the jewelry business? Renting a storefront wouldn’t cost much, and it’s nothing much for you.”
Feng Jun was just about to respond when his mobile phone rang.
The caller was a young real estate agent who had found another property for him. It was located near Peach Blossom Valley in Zhengyang, once part of the Fu Niu Provincial Military Region’s territory, a picturesque lakeside and mountain area of outstanding natural beauty.
The place had been designated a tourism and scenic area and, in principle, was not allowed residential development. However, years ago, the scenic area authority allocated two plots, including employee dormitories and a sanatorium, plus a small number of villas which were highly sought after.
The agent had gotten in touch about one such villa, with its own entrance and over 500 square meters of land area, comprising three floors and more than 900 square meters of built area. The price was somewhat steep, reaching 45 million yuan.
Even so, the owner wasn’t keen on selling, expressing a desire to use the house as collateral to borrow 50 million yuan.
The agent had negotiated back and forth, settling the price at 45 million yuan, but the owner hoped to not transfer the property immediately and instead treat it as a loan at ten percent annual interest, retaining the right to repurchase within three years.
This sort of arrangement added many complexities. The agent hoped Feng Jun could take a look at the property today and make an early decision.
Planing to view the property that afternoon, Feng Jun made up his mind. He didn’t like complications, but the agent kept assuring him that the house was truly worth more than its price, which was why he decided to see it for himself.
After hanging up, he looked up to find Wang Haifeng and Zhang Weihong both watching him, prompting him to ask in surprise, “What’s with those expressions?”
“Boss Feng, you’re really something,” Sister Hong couldn’t hide her astonishment, “You’re actually considering buying a villa in Peach Blossom Valley.”
“Well, always renting isn’t the way to go,” Feng Jun dismissed the idea with a laugh, feeling quite pleased inside to finally see Sister Hong surprised.
Wang Haifeng couldn’t stand his posturing and deliberately argued, “Then buying an apartment would do, wouldn’t it? Can you really live in a Peach Blossom Valley villa all by yourself?”
Feng Jun shook his head. “An apartment is not quite right for me. I’m a man of many secrets and I like peace and quiet, so I prefer villas.”
Wang Haifeng also shook his head. “I know you’re big-time, but it doesn’t seem like they want to sell to you.”
“There’s a sanatorium in Peach Blossom Valley with the status to host central government officials,” Sister Hong added her voice. “Those villas aren’t just something you can buy with money. If you manage to get one there, Feng Jun, you’ll have to be more discreet.”
“I don’t care about central government officials at all,” Feng Jun replied, shaking his head with an air of nonchalance, “Actually, I’m not that interested in the place. Recently, I’ve been needing a quiet spot.”
Unwilling to see Feng bask in self-admiration, Wang Haifeng shook his head without a word, but Sister Hong spoke up, “Feng Jun, I never realized before that you could handle yourself quite well… Those three guys you dealt with yesterday, none of them were pushovers.”
Indeed, none of them were simple. Xiao Liu from the information consultancy firm was an ex-soldier, Teacher Mao had a background in physical education as a sports teacher, and even the least impressive crossbowman was an avid mountaineer with excellent physical fitness.
When the topic came up, Feng Jun was, of course, filled with confidence, though he modestly said, “What good is fighting? It doesn’t make money, and no matter how well I fight, I still can’t stop a bullet.”
Sister Hong’s eyes flickered mischievously, “I’ve noticed that your physique has improved a lot compared to before. Do you have any secrets?”